Directed by Lucy Massie Phenix and Veronica Selver • 1985 • United States
Starring Myles Horton, May Justice, Bernice Johnson Reagon
This galvanizing documentary tells the story of individuals who have dared to change the world for the better, and of Tennessee’s world-renowned Highlander Folk School (now Highlander Research and Education Center), the place that for over ninety years has taught them how to achieve this change. Whether fighting for civil rights, labor reform, or stopping the ravaging of communities by strip mining and toxic-waste dumping, the Highlander community has been active in some of the most significant American social movements of the last century. Rich in the language and music of the South, YOU GOT TO MOVE is about people’s discovery within themselves of the courage and ability to confront reality and change it.
Up Next in Celebrate Black History
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Tongues Untied
Directed by Marlon Riggs • 1989 • United States
Marlon Riggs’s landmark documentary uses poetry, personal testimony, rap, and performance (featuring poet Essex Hemphill and others) to describe the homophobia and racism faced by Black gay men. The stories are often devastating: the man refused en...
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Paris Is Burning
Directed by Jennie Livingston • 1990 • United States
Starring Dorian Corey, Pepper LaBeija, Angie XtravaganzaWhere does voguing come from, and what, exactly, is throwing shade? This landmark documentary provides a vibrant snapshot of the 1980s through the eyes of New York City’s African America...
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A Place of Rage
Directed by Pratibha Parmar • 1991 • United States
Starring Angela Davis, Alice Walker, June JordanFeaturing enlightening interviews with Angela Davis, June Jordan, and Alice Walker, this essential documentary is an exuberant celebration of Black American women and their achievements. Within th...
